Updated: 21 May 2026 11:43 BST |
5 min read
Ineos’ ownership of Nice has deteriorated into a nightmare over the course of the last year, and things could be about to become a whole lot worse for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The eve of a cup final should be a period for optimism, but for the Allianz Riviera side, it is instead clouded by uncertainty.
Players assaulted by fans, ownership unrest and now the spectre of relegation dog what has been an awful campaign, which threatens to end in a fitting farce.
Just four days after Nice’s Stade de France showdown with Lens on Friday, they will tackle the first leg of their two-match play-off with Saint-Etienne to decide which club plays top-flight football next season.
“The Coupe de France is no longer the priority,” president Jean-Pierre Rivere announced following last week’s 0-0 draw with Metz that condemned Nice to the play-off.
His obvious anguish was understandable. Nice had been lacklustre against a side that has not won a league match since November and had been conceding goals for fun.
During the game, fans had chanted ‘We’re in Ligue 2’ and cried ‘Ole!’ when Metz completed passes. It got worse in the aftermath. Spectators charged the pitch, with one throwing a flair down the tunnel towards the players. These actions means that fans are banned for their next two home matches – and that means the play-off second leg next Friday. Nice have appealed the decision.
As if that weren’t enough, Nice face the prospect of being without eight players for that match after FIFA refused permission for World Cup-bound internationals to be released by their countries for the playoffs, which have been moved to accommodate their cup final. It leaves the club negotiating with individual associations to have these players released. Saint-Etienne could also lose three players for this reason.
In order to prioritise these matches, there has been a suggestion that they will field a weakened side in Saint-Denis against a Lens outfit that demolished Lyon 4-0 last weekend having outplayed PSG a handful of days earlier, despite losing 2-0.
Ineos’ increasing indifference
All this is taking place under the increasingly disinterested ownership of Ineos, which has put the club up for sale and in January even reduced its asking price, according to Bloomberg.
Since completing a minority takeover of Manchester United in February 2024, Ratcliffe and Ineos have lost their interest in the Ligue 1 side. Despite selling more than €100m worth of talent last summer – including Jean-Clair Todibo to West Ham for €40m and Evann Guessand to Aston Villa for €30m – only a fraction of that was reinvested into the playing staff.
Ineos looked for ‘Moneyball’ type signings but instead came up hopelessly short on every count. Striker Kevin Carlos epitomises Nice’s issues. He arrived as a €6m replacement for Guessand but has failed to score a single Ligue 1 goal all season in what must rate as one of the worst pieces of business anywhere in Europe this season.
Head coach Franck Haise resigned in December with Nice 12th in Ligue 1. This was triggered nearly a month earlier by a 3-1 loss in Lorient following which fans violently clashed with several players, leading to Jeremie Boga and Terem Moffi taking sick leave before departing in January. Boga was “beaten all over his body by five to ten people”, RMC reported.
Haise’s departure was simply the catalyst for further trouble. While he went to Rennes and turned them into an outfit chasing European football, Nice have increasing backpedalled into trouble.
Nice face an uncertain future
What happens next for Nice is unclear. The current situation serves no one, with the shambolic state of the club eroding Ineos’ investment almost with each passing week. Already Ratcliffe’s asking price has dropped from €200 million by a ‘considerable’ amount. Ligue 2 would only see that plummet further.
Certainly, Nice are a side in desperate need of a new start. The Ineos project has failed them on every level, and the chaotic nature with which they are ending the season epitomises Ratcliffe’s reign on the Cote d’Azur.
Related stories:
Build The FIFA World Cup 2026™: LEGO© releases stunning football-inspired collection
Carrick’s €30m Man Utd plan could take Bruno Fernandes to another level
Transfer Rumours: Man Utd blow Arsenal out of the water with €100m Mateus Fernandes move
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
•Google Play
•App Store
